Tuesday, March 12, 2019

"A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the audience." - Max Lucado

At the Sr. Luncheon last month I showed them pics of hood ornaments and asked them to ID the car. Can you get this one?

Headline on USAToday.com this morning:
"Blacks, Hispanics, breathe air polluted by whites."
Good grief! Is that what we call race baiting? Everybody breathes air polluted by everybody. Are whites the only people driving cars, riding in airplanes, working in factories? Some editor needs a slap upside the head and a swift kick in his/her rear end next time they complain about Americans rejecting major media outlets in favor of the inane networks on the right.

BTW, why that capitalization pattern? "Blacks, Hispanics, and whites." Hmmm. I'm not seeing any conspiracy, it's just odd.

It rained all night just like they said it would, and it's coming down pretty hard now ( 4:30 a.m.). Maybe with the warmer temps (40 degrees) and rain we'll get rid of the last of the snow. And replace it with mud.

Sally's cowl - that grate right in front of the windshield on an old car - is where air enters for cabin heat and windshield defrosting. Alas, a design flaw that Ford figured out for the 1968 model means that the metal underneath the cowl rusts through. It's rare to find a first generation Mustang that doesn't have that problem, an issue that allows rain to come through the cowl, through the sheet metal underneath it, and onto the floor where your feet go. That's why the passenger floor rotted out and needed to be replaced.
As a temporary solution until I can replace the rusted sheet metal I have a clear plastic cover that snaps over the cowl and prevents water from entering. (This is a problem so common that somebody came up with this solution.) Alas, it also prevents air from entering. So while Sally's floor will stay dry on my drive in I also won't have any heat or defrost.
You'd think that would make the rust repair a high priority. But to get to that piece of sheet metal I have to take off the windshield, the hood, the bumper (which is nccessary to remove) both front fenders, and then the cowl just to get to that rusted mess. The rusted piece of sheet metal is held in place by 150 spot welds that must be drilled out one at a time.
"Why 150 spot welds?" you ask? Because that piece of metal that goes from one side to the other is a structural member of the car and maintains rigidity across that section of the front of the car. Which is why you have to take very careful measurements before removing it so when you put in the new piece ($$$) you make sure all the dimensions are the same before you weld it in place.
Sound like fun? Or an afternoon's putzing?
Yeah, I'll do without cabin heat and defrost for awhile longer. I wear gloves (brrrr) and use the back of my right hand to clear the fog off the windshield.
Hey, it works. And those of us who drove vintage VW's know that trick well. 

In the Silliness Department the Eugene City Council is debating an ordinance that would require customers to request a plastic lid, straw, or spoon/fork before they could be given one. Go into Wendy's and order a salad - you have to ask for a fork to eat it with. Starbucks can only give you a lid for your latte if you remember to ask for it.
Welcome to Oregon.

A woman in Slovenia cut off her hand at the wrist with a circular saw. Her adult kids took her to the hospital and left the hand behind. The hospital sent people to get it and then the dr.s sewed it back on. It's doing fine.
She's not. She is in jail along with her kids.
Insurance fraud.
A routine (?!) investigation showed she'd taken out five insurance policies just a few months before the "accident" and had only made a couple of payments before the amputation.
How desperate do you have to be to cut off your own hand for even several thousands of dollars (or whatever they have in Slovenia)??

With snow and rain finally taking a break Buddy and I are taking a longer walk each afternoon. We'e doing a mile and a half on Baker Rd which is NOT flat. Buddy is whooped in the evening.
Me too, but that's because I'm doing burpees at the gym.

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